Hiring a private investigator has never been easier. Type “hire a private investigator” into Google and your screen will be filled with results. Some of the results are for independent locally owned businesses like Lauth Investigations International. Others are franchises or contracting agencies that rely on minimal information to connect you with an investigator quickly.

The most obvious reason to hire a locally based private investigator instead of a franchise is that local P.I.s are guaranteed to know the area better. Living and breathing in the area they work gives local investigators a huge advantage over contractors. Local investigators are in the city where you need them 24/7.

Has your child runaway? Local P.I.s will know where kids hang around and be able to check the spots with an understanding of which ones are more likely to yield results. Local firms won’t waste time searching closed down arcades or movie theaters, because they’ll already know it’s been shut down.

On the other hand contractors might not live within 50 miles of the city you need searched. Franchises contract investigators with a minimal application process and could assign someone to your case out of convenience rather than expertise. Get help from someone who walks the streets every night, not a tourist.

Investigators rely heavily on networks of sources cultivated from years of working the same areas. You don’t meet locals and find out out where people go in a town without getting out and talking to the natives. Establishing trust with sources requires repeated face-to-face interactions that can’t be fast forwarded through.

Contracted investigators may know a guy or two, but local investigators are swimming amongst their neighbors when they work a case in their backyard. It’s easier for a local P.I. to get a favor done, because the person doing the favor knows the P.I. will still be there tomorrow if they need something. Local P.I.s have an investment in their neighborhoods that the community understands and contractors can’t replicate.

Investment in the community is a major difference between local firms and franchises. Local private investigation firms build their businesses from the ground up in the cities they serve. They vet all of their employees thoroughly and only work with people they know they can trust. Local firms don’t hire contractors after filling out a short application. They hire known commodities and promote from within.

Promoting from within means local firms invest in their employees with training to expand their skill set. Franchises maximize their profits by taking on a high volume of cases and spreading them around to the cheapest contractors they can find. Sometimes those contractors will perform quality work, but can you risk your case being passed off to the lowest bidder?

Local firms make their money by performing quality work for clients. When you check the reviews for a local firm, you’re seeing the results of the investigators you’ll be working with. Past cases offer local P.I.s references and testimonies from those they’ve served directly. Franchises are nothing more than middle men who pass the buck to someone else. Which do you want to rest your hope and faith in?

For Private Investigation Inquiry contact Thomas Lauth, Lauth Investigations 317-951-1100

David Schroeder, Blog Writer, Lauth Investigations International